As the summer heat grows even more blistering, Resident Taqueria has opened up a timely expansion with added seating and a sit-down bar area.
Andrew Savoie’s elevated taco concept hasn’t exactly struggled for foot traffic since opening in 2015. With an indoor seating capacity of around 20 and room for only two parties to stand inside while in line, Resident’s popularity has led to cramped conditions for guests and staff alike. That’s why, when the former Highland Nail space became available toward the end of 2024, Savoie saw his chance to give customers a little more room to breathe.
“It was to allow or give back to the community more and more seating so they can enjoy a meal here, versus driving by and seeing how crowded it was and not going in,” Savoie said. “So now there’s an option to say, ‘Okay, I know there’s going to be more space so we can get in there and enjoy what we want to see.’”
The expansion brings an additional 1,200 square feet to Resident’s floorspace and increases its seating capacity by about 40. Work began in March, with the space making its debut on July 16. While the space has expanded the eatery’s footprint, Savoie says that’s about as far as the change goes, with no plans to add to outdoor seating anytime soon.
“The new space is an extension of exactly what we’ve been doing, but acquires more space for people to sit down and enjoy their meal and their time without feeling that they have to be rushed,” he said.
Walls alternate between a golden triangle design — which he says represents the stability of Resident’s trajectory — and slate-hued panels. The add-on feels calmer than the fun and casual street taqueria-inspired design of the original space, an ethos Savoie prioritized while designing it to further his desire to create a slower-paced, relaxed dining environment for neighbors.
Most of the present changes simply boil down to added seating. However, Savoie told the Advocate he will look to utilize the ten-seater Spanish tile bar as a venue for an expanded tequila and mezcal program in the future. Although it “will never be” a full-service bar, he will look to play on traditional cocktails with Mexican flavors in the new space, such as a gin and tonic poured with Oaxacan gin made from agave.
“The bar is just additional seating,” he said. “We will, in the future, start to create more opportunities at that bar. Right now, we’re just utilizing the space, and so you’ll start to see slowly that on Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights, not determining exactly when this will happen, but we will extend the hours from nine to 11, offering another outlet for community members to come up and have a cocktail at Resident.”
The sides are divided by a revolving false wall operating as a door that can be fixed to divide the two for late-night cocktail hours or private parties, which Savoie says Resident will begin hosting going forward.
“It’s whatever it wants to be, and we can open it to take some of the tables away, the chairs away, and it could be more of a cocktail standing place,” he said. “It can be defined uniquely by putting any messages or visual ads on the TV. We have a DJ input where we can have a DJ come in and orchestrate just kind of some kind of fun music or live entertainment.”
Resident Taqueria is located at 9661 Audelia Rd #112
